Tag Archives: anthony randolph

The tattered shreds of the Warriors took the floor last night against the defending Eastern Conference Champion Orlando Magic, and almost created a little magic of their own. Alas, for the second game in a row, after a rousing third quarter comeback, the Warriors hit a significant dry spell in the fourth quarter and fell apart against a veteran playoff team. Fatigue from once again gutting it out with a 6 player rotation? The inexperience of the rookie Curry, who made a couple of horrible turnovers in crunch time? Or the overall inexperience of the Warriors team, who due to a ridiculous set of circumstances have been forced to play jury-rigged and improvisational lineups ever since the start of the season? I’m having a tough time deciding, and really don’t care. I truly enjoyed this game, because of what I saw in two kids and a coach. And rather than bore you with another game recap, that’s what I’m going to write about. Continue reading →

Very few NBA teams have success in mile-high Denver on the back-end of a back-to-back. I think the number being thrown around is 1 win for the road team in the last 18 tries. For the Warriors, with no Turiaf, no Randolph, and a roster of 7, there was simply no chance to make it 2 for 19. With no players to contend with the Nuggets’ size inside, inevitable foul-trouble, and dead legs, the Warriors ceased to be competitive in the second quarter. The stats reflect three quarters of garbage time.

Now that Jackson is gone, and the Ellis/Curry backcourt is no longer as controversial as it was, the Bay Area media have picked up a new hammer to beat Don Nelson over the head with: the playing time of the Warriors tantalizingly gifted young big man, Anthony Randolph. After witnessing last night’s game, overhearing an interesting comment by Coach Keith Smart, and coming across an article on the Suns’ tantalizingly gifted young big man, Earl Clark, I feel ready to drop my thoughts on this matter:

That gasp I heard as the Warriors seized control in the fourth quarter, was that the Mavs fans? Was it Mavs owner/GM Mark Cuban once again suffering a melted brain? Or was it the sound of The Warriors Bet coming off life-support?

A lot of interesting story lines to this game, not least of which is whether Coach Keith Smart, filling in during Nellie’s sick leave, will stick to the Nellie philosophy regarding matchups. Dallas throws a lot of wrinkles themselves into their lineups, so this game may see some interesting chess moves.

Starting at center. Not sure what’s up with Dampier, but the Mavs went with Gooden in the post last game. Do the Warriors need to matchup big with him, or could they go small right off the bat?

Aaaaaaaarghh. That is the sanitized version of the noise I made when I returned home from my no-limit poker game only to find that I had recorded the wrong channel. Instead of enjoying a glorious Warrior win with a snifter of Lagavulin, I suffered a melted brain. Someone must pay, and that someone is DirectTV. I’m switching to Comcast tomorrow.

So what follows comes to you courtesy of the box score, Tim Kawakami (dare I admit that?), and a few kind friends. I won’t blame you if you decide to skip this recap, but I do want to throw in my two cents on this game, handicapped as I am by not having seen it.

The story of the last two games, as far as I am concerned, is this: Don Nelson has given the keys of the franchise to Stephen Curry.

In the two games since Stephen Jackson was traded, Curry has started. And he, not Monta Ellis, has been running the team. Curry is the point guard. Monta Ellis is the shooting guard. Don Nelson has made his decision.

The Warriors are +16.5 road dogs against the Celtics tonight. I’m going to discipline myself and not say a word about this line. If you haven’t noticed, my intuitions about the Warriors lines have been ice cold lately. Which is one reason why I never bet them! (But see The Bobcats Bet for the kind of thing I do bet.)

Why is it that the Warriors always play so well when they are down to 7 players? At the end of last year, also fielding a 7 man skeleton squad, the Warrriors earned themselves a “Magnificent Seven” nickname by reeling off several impressive wins. On this night, with Vlad Rad playing his first game in Warriors uniform, and more bitter break-up rumors swirling about the team, the Warriors once again came through with a very nice game. They didn’t get the win, but they played unselfishly and gave a good effort. A small victory, but small victories go a long way towards soothing the savage beast that is raging at this moment in the breast of every true Warriors fan.

The Warriors are +14.5 in this game. I think that’s probably low. The Warriors will be dressing 8 players, but Raja Bell will not be playing except in case of emergency. He has decided to have the wrist surgery he has been postponing and will likely be lost to the Warriors for the year. CJ Watson is out with the flu.

With Stephen Jackson gone, the skeleton-crew Warriors are at Lebron’s mercy. I think we’ll see a lot of zone in this game. What we’ll also probably see a lot of is Rad Vlad jacking up threes. On demand. No waiting. Enjoy!